A frank and witty memoir of life at the Bar and on the Bench, from former High Court Judge The Hon. Sir Harry Ognall.A frank and witty memoir of life at the Bar and on the Bench, from former High Court Judge The Hon. Sir Harry Ognall.For many years, Harry Ognall enjoyed a formidable reputation as an advocate at the criminal Bar. As counsel, and later as judge, he was involved in numerous high-profile trials, both in Britain and abroad.Among many cases as a QC, he prosecuted Peter Sutcliffe, the so-called ‘Yorkshire Ripper’. He successfully defended six officers of the Air Force of Zimbabwe at their trial in Harare, where they faced a charge of treasonable sabotage.As a judge, he presided over the trial of Colin Stagg (the alleged ‘Wimbledon Common murderer’), the trial arising from the Lyme Bay canoe tragedy and the trial for the first time in the United Kingdom of a doctor’s alleged involvement in euthanasia.Thoughtful and provocative, Sir Harry has advice for the aspiring young advocate, and invests this penetrating memoir with warmth, humour and understanding. His frank portrait of a lifetime in the criminal law offers unique perspectives on some of the most notorious cases of the twentieth century, as well as fascinating insights into a colourful professional life and the burdens and responsibilities that come with the privilege of high judicial office.The Hon. Sir Harry Ognall is a retired judge of the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division. For many years, he enjoyed a formidable reputation as an advocate at the criminal Bar. As counsel, and later as judge, he was involved in numerous high-profile trials, both here and abroad.Among many cases as a QC, he prosecuted Peter Sutcliffe, the so-called ‘Yorkshire Ripper’. He successfully defended six officers of the Air Force of Zimbabwe at their trial in Harare, where they faced a charge of treasonable sabotage.As a judge, he presided over the trial of Colin Stagg (the alleged ‘Wimbledon Common murderer’), the trial arising from the Lyme Bay canoe tragedy, and the trial for the first time in the United Kingdom of a doctor’s alleged involvement in euthanasia.Thoughtful and provocative, Sir Harry has advice for the aspiring young advocate, and invests this penetrating memoir with warmth, humour and understanding. His frank portrait of a lifetime in the criminal law offers unique perspectives on some of the most notorious cases of the 20th Century, and fascinating insights into a colourful professional life and the burdens and responsibilities that come with the privilege of high judicial office.Sir Harry has his roots in the North country. He was educated at Leeds Grammar School and thence to Oxford University, and finally completed his student days with a scholarship to the University of Virginia School of Law, USA.Called to the Bar in 1958, he spent much of his professional life on the North-Eastern Circuit, with chambers in Leeds. Latterly, as a QC, his work from both Leeds and London chambers took him further afield, including substantial criminal trials in the Far East and Central Africa.After retirement, he initially occupied himself with charitable work, duties as a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and as an after-dinner speaker, as well as too much time in fruitless endeavour on the golf course. Nowadays, he would tell you that his life is more akin to the definition of poetry – one of emotion recollected in tranquillity.Sir Harry is married, with five children and eight grandchildren. He and his wife live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.• SIR HARRY’S MEDIA PROFILE: Sir Harry’s cases have put him under the spotlight in the past, particularly when presiding over the Yorkshire Ripper case and during the Wimbledon Common murderer case (during which he was defended memorably in the press by Boris Johnson).• PERFECT GIFT FOR ANYONE IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION: reads like a real-life version of John Mortimer’s Rumpole books (£170k TCM). We see the gifting market as crucial - we should aim this at the stocking of every law student, criminal barrister and judge.• TRUE CRIME ASPECT: while the tone is reflective and warm, some of the cases Sir Harry recollects are as shocking as any featured in podcasts like Serial or TV shows like Making a Murderer.
Publicat de: HarperCollins Publishers